The Music of Peru is an amalgamation of sounds and styles drawing on

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

Andean The Andes, Andes Mountains or Andean Mountains (; ) are the List of mountain ranges#Mountain ranges by length, longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range i ...

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

, and

African African or Africans may refer to: * Anything from or pertaining to the continent of Africa: ** People who are native to Africa, descendants of natives of Africa, or individuals who trace their ancestry to indigenous inhabitants of Africa *** Ethn ...

roots. Andean influences can perhaps be best heard in wind instruments and the shape of the melodies, while the African influences can be heard in the rhythm and percussion instruments, and European influences can be heard in the harmonies and stringed instruments.

Pre-Columbian In the history of the Americas, the pre-Columbian era spans from the original settlement of North and South America in the Upper Paleolithic period through European colonization, which began with Christopher Columbus's voyage of 1492. Usually, th ...

Andean music was played on drums and string instruments, like the European

pipe and tabor Pipe and tabor is a pair of instruments played by a single player, consisting of a three-hole pipe played with one hand, and a small drum played with the other. The tabor (drum) hangs on the performer's left arm or around the neck, leaving the ...

tradition. Andean

tritonic A tritonic scale is a musical scale or mode with three notes per octave. This is in contrast to a heptatonic (seven-note) scale such as the major scale and minor scale, or a dodecatonic (chromatic 12-note) scale, both common in modern Western ...

and pentatonic scales were elaborated during the colonial period into hexatonic, and in some cases, diatonic scales.

History

The earliest printed

polyphonic music Polyphony ( ) is a type of musical texture consisting of two or more simultaneous lines of independent melody, as opposed to a musical texture with just one voice, monophony, or a texture with one dominant melodic voice accompanied by chords, h ...

in Peru, indeed anywhere in the Americas, was "

Hanacpachap cussicuinin ''Hanacpachap cussicuinin'' (modern orthography: ) is a processional hymn to the Virgin Mary in the Quechua language but in a largely European sacred music style. Composed by an Inca student of Juan Pérez de Bocanegra between 1620 and 1631,Bruce ...

," composed or collected by

Juan Pérez Bocanegra Pérez de Bocanegra was a parish priest in this church in Andahuaylillas Juan Pérez de Bocanegra, T.O.S.F. (died 1645) was a Catholic priest and member of the Third Order of St. Francis, who was a musician, and specialist in the indigenous lang ...

and printed in 1631.

Instruments

Stringed instruments

Peruvian music is dominated by the national instrument, the

charango The charango is a small Andean stringed instrument of the lute family, from the Quechua and Aymara populations in the territory of the Altiplano in post-Colonial times, after European stringed instruments were introduced by the Spanish during c ...

. The charango is member of the

lute A lute ( or ) is any plucked string instrument with a neck and a deep round back enclosing a hollow cavity, usually with a sound hole or opening in the body. It may be either fretted or unfretted. More specifically, the term "lute" can ref ...

family of instruments and was invented during the

Viceroyalty of Peru The Viceroyalty of Peru ( es, Virreinato del Perú, links=no) was a Spanish imperial provincial administrative district, created in 1542, that originally contained modern-day Peru and most of the Spanish Empire in South America, governed from ...

by musicians imitating the

vihuela The vihuela () is a 15th-century fretted plucked Spanish string instrument, shaped like a guitar (figure-of-eight form offering strength and portability) but tuned like a lute. It was used in 15th- and 16th-century Spain as the equivalent of t ...

. In the

Canas Canas or Cañas may refer to: Places * Canas (Lycia), a town of ancient Lycia, now in Turkey * Amatlán de Cañas, a municipality in Nayarit, Mexico * Cañas Canton, in Guanacaste province, Costa Rica * Cañas, Costa Rica, capital of the Cañas (ca ...

and

Titicaca Lake Titicaca (; es, Lago Titicaca ; qu, Titiqaqa Qucha) is a large freshwater lake in the Andes mountains on the border of Bolivia and Peru. It is often called the highest navigable lake in the world. By volume of water and by surface area, i ...

regions, the charango is used in courtship rituals, symbolically invoking

mermaid In folklore, a mermaid is an aquatic creature with the head and upper body of a female human and the tail of a fish. Mermaids appear in the folklore of many cultures worldwide, including Europe, Asia, and Africa. Mermaids are sometimes asso ...

s with the instrument to lure the woman to the male performers. Until the 1960s, the charango was denigrated as an instrument of the rural poor. After the revolution in 1959, which built upon the

Indigenismo ''Indigenismo'' () is a political ideology in several Latin American countries which emphasizes the relationship between the nation state and indigenous nations and indigenous peoples. In some contemporary uses, it refers to the pursuit of great ...

movement (1910–1940), the charango was popularized among other performers. Variants include the

walaycho The walaycho (hispanicized spelling ''hualaycho'', also ''walaychu'') is a small lute-like fretted stringed instrument, the smallest member of the charango family. It is the same or similar to the ''maulincho''. The ''walaychu'' along with the ch ...

, chillador,

chinlili The Chinlili, also known as the Chinlilo, is a chordophone from Ayacucho, Peru. It is a variant of the Charango tuned to a lower tone. The frets are laid out Diatonic and chromatic, diatonically, and it has 6 Course (music), courses of 8 metal st ...

, and the larger and lower-tuned

charangon The Charangón is a small lute-like fretted stringed instrument String instruments, stringed instruments, or chordophones are musical instruments that produce sound from vibrating strings when a performer plays or sounds the strings in some ...

. While the Spanish

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

is widely played, so too is the Spanish-in-origin

bandurria The bandurria is a plucked chordophone from Spain, similar to the mandolin and bandola, primarily used in Spanish folk music, but also found in former Spanish colonies. Instrument development Prior to the 18th century, the bandurria had a round ...

. Unlike the guitar, it has been transformed by Peruvian players over the years, changing from a 12-string, 6-course instrument to one having 12 to 16 strings in a mere 4 courses.

Violins The violin, sometimes known as a ''fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone (string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in the family in regular ...

and

harps The High Accuracy Radial Velocity Planet Searcher (HARPS) is a high-precision echelle planet-finding spectrograph installed in 2002 on the ESO's 3.6m telescope at La Silla Observatory in Chile. The first light was achieved in February 2003. H ...

, also of European origin, are also played.

Percussion instruments

The

cajón A cajón (; "box", "crate" or "drawer") is a box-shaped percussion instrument originally from Peru, played by slapping the front or rear faces (generally thin plywood) with the hands, fingers, or sometimes implements such as brushes, mallets, ...

is an important percussion instrument developed by African slaves. People imply the

cowbell A cowbell (or cow bell) is a bell worn around the neck of free-roaming livestock so herders can keep track of an animal via the sound of the bell when the animal is grazing out of view in hilly landscapes or vast plains. Although they are t ...

may also be of African origin. While the rhythms played on them are often African-influenced, some percussive instruments are of non-African origin. For example, of European origin is the

bombo Bombo may refer to: Music * ''Bombo'' (musical), a 1921 Broadway production starring Al Jolson * "Bombo" (song), by Norwegian singer Adelén *Bombo criollo or just bombo, a family of Latin American drums *Bombo legüero, an Argentine drum *An 18th ...

, and of Andean origin are the wankara and

tinya The tinya ( Quechua)Diccionario Quechua - Español - Quechua, Academía Mayor de la Lengua Quechua, Gobierno Regional Cusco, Cusco 2005 (Quechua-Spanish dictionary) or kirki (Quechua) is a percussion instrument, a small handmade drum of leather whi ...

respectively.

Wind instruments

In addition to the

ocarina The ocarina is a wind musical instrument; it is a type of vessel flute. Variations exist, but a typical ocarina is an enclosed space with four to twelve finger holes and a mouthpiece that projects from the body. It is traditionally made from c ...

and waqra phuku, there are Peruvian wind instruments of two basic types,

panpipes A pan flute (also known as panpipes or syrinx) is a musical instrument based on the principle of the closed tube, consisting of multiple pipes of gradually increasing length (and occasionally girth). Multiple varieties of pan flutes have been ...

and

flutes The flute is a family of classical music instrument in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, meaning they make sound by vibrating a column of air. However, unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is a reedless ...

, both of Native Andean origin and built to play

pentatonic A pentatonic scale is a musical scale with five notes per octave, in contrast to the heptatonic scale, which has seven notes per octave (such as the major scale and minor scale). Pentatonic scales were developed independently by many ancie ...

and

hexatonic In music and music theory, a hexatonic scale is a scale with six pitches or notes per octave. Famous examples include the whole-tone scale, C D E F G A C; the augmented scale, C D E G A B C; the Prometheus scale, C D E F A B C; and the blues sc ...

scales, though some contemporary musicians play instruments designed to play European

diatonic Diatonic and chromatic are terms in music theory that are most often used to characterize Scale (music), scales, and are also applied to musical instruments, Interval (music), intervals, Chord (music), chords, Musical note, notes, musical sty ...

scales. Of the former variety, there are the siku (or ''zampoña'') and

antara Antara is an Indonesian news agency organized as a statutory corporation. It is the country's national news agency, supplying news reports to many domestic media organizations. It is the only organization authorized to distribute news material ...

. Of the latter variety, there are the

pinkillu A pinkillu, pinkuyllu or pinqullu (Quechua or Aymara, Hispanicized spellings ''pincollo, pincuyllo, pingullo, pinquillo'', also ''pinkillo, pinkiyo, pinkullo, pinkuyo'') is a flute found throughout the Andes, used primarily in Argentina, Bolivia, ...

, tarka, and

quena The quena (hispanicized spelling of Quechua ''qina'', sometimes also written ''kena'' in English) is the traditional flute of the Andes. Traditionally made of cane or wood, it has 6 finger holes and one thumb hole, and is open on both ends or th ...

(qina) flutes.

Dances

See

Peruvian dances Dance in Peru is an art form primarily of native origin. There are also dances that are related to agricultural work, hunting and war. In Peru dancing bears an important cultural significance. Some choreographies show certain Christian infl ...

* Apiliarg—A dance from the Oporeza area. * Carnaval en Amazonas—A dance from the Amazonas region similar to the huayno. * Carnavalito—A dance from southern Peru and the Bolivian Altiplano similar to the huayno. *

Chumaichada La Chumaichada is a typical dance from the Amazonas Region, Peru. It is particularly associated with Chachapoyas Province, Chachapoyas. The music is likely of indigenous origin. but the choreography has a French origin, stemming from "Los lanceros" ...

—A dance from the Amazonas region with strong Native Peruvian musical influences and strong European dance influences. *

Creole Waltz The vals criollo ( en, Creole waltz), or Peruvian waltz ( es, vals peruano), is an adaptation of the European waltz brought to the Americas during colonial times by Spain. In the Viceroyalty of Peru, the waltz was gradually adapted to the likings ...

—A Peruvian adaptation of the European

waltz The waltz ( ), meaning "to roll or revolve") is a ballroom and folk dance, normally in triple ( time), performed primarily in closed position. History There are many references to a sliding or gliding dance that would evolve into the wa ...

. * Cueca—A pan-Andean compound 3/4-6/8 dance rhythm. *

Cumbia Cumbia refers to a number of musical rhythms and folk dance traditions of Latin America, generally involving musical and cultural elements from American Indigenous peoples, enslaved Africans during colonial times, and Europeans. Examples include: ...

—A Colombian-in-origin 2/4 dance rhythm. * Danza de tijeras—A dance from southern Peru. * Danzantes de Levanto—A dance from the Amazonas region. *

Diablada The Diablada, also known as the Danza de los Diablos ( en, Dance of the Devils), is an Andean folk dance performed in the Altiplano region of South America, characterized by performers wearing masks and costumes representing the devil and other ...

—A 2/4 dance rhythm from southern Peru, Bolivia, and northern Chile. *

Morenada The Morenada is an Andean folk dance whose origins are still under debate. This dance is practiced mainly in Bolivia as well as in Peru and in recent years with Bolivian immigration in Chile, Argentina and other countries. Morenada is one of th ...

—A dance rhythm from western Bolivia, mainly La Paz. *

Festejo ''Festejo'' (from Spanish 'fiesta') is a festive form of Afro-Peruvian music. The dance is a staple in the Black coastal populations and it celebrates the emancipation of slaves. Festejo is recognized for its high energy and the improvisation car ...

—A popular 12/8 Afro-Peruvian dance form. *

Harawi (genre) Harawi is an ancient traditional genre of Andean music and also indigenous lyric poetry. ''Harawi'' was widespread in the Inca Empire and now is especially common in countries that were part of it, mainly: Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia. Typically, ''haraw ...

or Yaravi—A highland dance danced to various meters: 2/4, 3/4, and 4/4. *

Huanca (dance) The Huancas, Wancas, or Wankas are a Quechua people living in the Junín Region of central Peru, in and around the Mantaro Valley. Names The southern branch of Huanca people are called the Wanka Waylla Quechua and Southern Huancayo Quechua. The J ...

—A dance from the Amazonas region. * Huayno—A popular 2/4 highlands dance. *

Kantu Kantu or k'antu is an ancient style of music and circle dance which is widespread since incaic or even preincaic epoch on the Peruvian and Bolivian highlands. Modern versions of this style still use the Quechua or Aymara language and the siku ...

—A highland circle dance mainly in the Andean

Altiplano The Altiplano (Spanish for "high plain"), Collao (Quechua and Aymara: Qullaw, meaning "place of the Qulla") or Andean Plateau, in west-central South America, is the most extensive high plateau on Earth outside Tibet. The plateau is located at the ...

. * Landó—An Afro-Peruvian compound 3/4-12/8 dance rhythm. *

Marinera Marinera is a courtship dance that originated along the coastal regions of Peru, using handkerchiefs as props. The dance is a mix of Spanish contradanza and Andean zamacueca, and is a stylized reenactment of a courtship, showing a blend of th ...

—An Afro-Peruvian 6/8 dance rhythm. *

Polka Polka is a dance and genre of dance music originating in nineteenth-century Bohemia, now part of the Czech Republic. Though associated with Czech culture, polka is popular throughout Europe and the Americas. History Etymology The term ...

—A 2/4 European-in-origin dance form. *

Sikuri Sikuri is a musical style from Peru the kind of huayño, consisting of siku players and drum accompaniment. There are usually around twenty siku players. As each siku cannot play all the notes of a scale, the siku players use an interlocking tec ...

—A dance rhythm from the Andean

in southern Peru and western Bolivia. * Son de los Diablos *

Tondero Tondero is a dance and guitar rhythm from Peru that developed in the country's northern coastal region (Piura– Lambayeque). Geographical origin of tondero and cumananas The Tondero is a Peruvian dance and rhythm born in the north coast adj ...

—A northwestern Peruvian 6/8 dance form. *

Zamacueca The Zamacueca is an ancient colonial dance and music that originated in the Viceroyalty of Peru, taking its roots from Spanish, and Andean rhythms. Although currently the dance is not widely popular, several dance institutions in places such as Pe ...

—A 6/8 Afro-Peruvian dance form.

Notable artists

Eva Ayllón Eva María Angélica Ayllón Urbina (born February 7, 1956) better known by her stage name Eva Ayllón, is a female composer and singer, one of Peru's foremost Afro-Peruvian musicians, and one of the country's most enduring living legends. She he ...

, legendary

criolla Criolla is a genre of Cuban music which is closely related to the music of the Cuban Coros de Clave and a genre of Cuban popular music called Clave. The Clave became a very popular genre in the Cuban vernacular theater and was created by compose ...

and Peruvian folk composer, ten time Emmy nominee *

Luis Abanto Morales Luis Abanto Morales (25 August 1923 – 14 June 2017) was a Peruvian singer and composer. Born in Trujillo, Peru, his childhood was spent in Cajabamba where, after his father died, he was cared for by his paternal grandmother. His early stud ...

, Peruvian folk composer * Arturo Cavero, legendary traditional folk composer and singer * Manuelcha Prado, guitarist, singer, composer, compiler and troubadour of Andean music. He is also known for many people as "The ''Saqra'' of the Guitar". * Jaime Guardia, singer and charango player, performed and recorded as a solo act and with the group Lira Paucina. *

Raul Romero Raul, Raúl and Raül are the Italian, Portuguese, Romanian, Spanish, Galician, Asturian, Basque, Aragonese, and Catalan forms of the Anglo-Germanic given name Ralph or Rudolph. They are cognates of the French Raoul. Raul, Raúl or Raül may re ...

saxophone The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed on a mouthpiece vibrates to pr ...

and

clarinet The clarinet is a musical instrument in the woodwind family. The instrument has a nearly cylindrical bore and a flared bell, and uses a single reed to produce sound. Clarinets comprise a family of instruments of differing sizes and pitches ...

ensembles from the

Mantaro Valley The Mantaro Valley, also known as Jauja Valley, is a fluvial inter-Andean valley of Junin region, east of Lima, the capital of Peru. The Mantaro River flows through the fertile valley which produces potatoes, maize, and vegetables among othe ...

Susana Baca Susana may refer to: * Sustainable Sanitation Alliance (SuSanA), a network of organizations active in the field of sustainable sanitation * Susana (given name), a feminine given name (including a list of people with the name) * ''Susana'' (magazine) ...

, singer-songwriter and two-times

Latin Grammy Award The Latin Grammy Awards are an award by The Latin Recording Academy to recognize outstanding achievement in the Latin music industry. The Latin Grammy honors works recorded in Spanish or Portuguese from anywhere around the world that has been r ...

winner. * One important space for Peruvian contemporary classical music is Circomper, the Peruvian Composition Circle.

Notes

External links

Música Criolla del Perú
*
Audio clips: Traditional music of Peru.
Musée d'ethnographie de Genève. Accessed November 25, 2010. *Brill, Mark. Music of Latin America and the Caribbean, 2nd Edition, 2018. Taylor & Francis
BBC Radio 3 Audio (60 minutes): Huaynos of the Andes and Afro-Peruvian music.
Accessed November 25, 2010.
BBC Radio 3 Audio (60 minutes): The music of Ayacucho.
Accessed November 25, 2010.
BBC Radio 3 Audio (60 minutes): Iquitos, Huancayo and Lake Titicaca.
Accessed November 25, 2010.
Manuelcha Prado Official website

Music from the Andes and Nearby Regions

Going Underground: Peru
An exploration into the underground music scene in Peru {{South America topic, Music of Peruvian culture Latin American music Latin American culture